UKZN lecturer killed in fight to protect his family at Tongaat
"It will be some time before we come to grips with his passing. His family, fellow colleagues and students have suffered a great loss," said Professor Maharaj.
Tributes and messages of support and condolence continue to pour in for well-liked University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) lecturer, Professor Rivendra Narain, who was murdered in his Tongaat home last Wednesday.
According to Reaction Unit South Africa, Narain was seriously injured while attempting to fight off two men who had broken into the family home in Watsonia Drive.
It is understood that Narain’s wife Upasna fled to another bedroom with her 20-month-old baby, locking herself in.
Narain was stabbed and later found on the upstairs balcony.
Upasna had also been stabbed in the arm.
The intruders stole a laptop and two cell phones.
Police are appealing to anyone with information about the attackers to contact their local police.
Professor Narain’s colleague, senior professor Sunil Maharaj, said the murder was a great loss to the university.
“It will be some time before we come to grips with his passing. His family, fellow colleagues and students have suffered a great loss,” said Professor Maharaj.
Prof Narain held a doctorate in science from UKZN and a masters in mathematics from the University of the Witwatersrand.
He also held several major qualifications in astrophysics, cosmology research, philosophy and mathematical science and had taught at UKZN’s school of mathematics, statistics and computer science for 10 years.
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